'Still Searching…': on my book, The Search for a Science of Verse cambridgeblog.org/2026/05/st… via @CUPAcademic

Who would like to review Christian R. Gelder's The Search for a Science of Verse, 1880 to the Present (cambridge.org/core/books/sea…)? Get in touch at bslsreivews@gmail.com if so.

My book is being launched with CRAM in Melbourne on the 27th of March. They'll be another event in April in Sydney—but if you're in town, then do come along! :)) @CRAMcritiques arts.unimelb.edu.au/school-o…

Coming to a bookstore near you! cambridge.org/core/books/sea…

Macquarie University is preparing to dismantle two foundational disciplines: Sociology and Politics. Under the current proposal, Sociology will no longer be offered as a major in the Bachelor of Arts, and 11 of the department’s 14 academics — including long-time colleagues I’ve known since my PhD days — are facing redundancy. These are some of the most brilliant, dedicated, and compassionate educators I’ve ever known. Despite ongoing funding cuts and relentless pressure from senior management, they’ve continued to build rigorous, thought-provoking curricula that have empowered countless students. Politics is also set to be scrapped entirely. Yes, in 2025, Macquarie University plans to shut down Politics — a staggering move in any context, but especially now. Among those affected is Dr Jumana Bayeh, the only Arab woman teaching Middle East politics in a politics department in Australia as far as I know. The cuts don’t stop there. Macquarie’s world-renowned Ancient History department is facing a 50% staff reduction. Media Studies and Creative Arts will also be severely hit — areas where some of the most forward-thinking and creative academic work is being done. This isn’t just an administrative shake-up. It’s an attack on disciplines that challenge, critique, and expose systems of power — fields that encourage students to think critically about the world around them. That’s no coincidence. So where do 11 highly qualified sociologists go in a country where universities are making similar cuts across the board? And what happens to the students who still want to study Sociology or Politics — who want to understand society and participate in shaping it? We are fighting this with everything we have. But we only have three weeks. If you care about education, about critical thinking, about justice — please help us. Write to your local MP. Contact Macquarie University. Now is the time to act.

Brilliant ⁦@GelderChristian⁩ will be giving the keynote at our MA conference today! Title: ‘Laura Riding Against the Professionals’ 🔥🔥🔥

Together with @GelderChristian, we're holding a symposium on the aesthetics of the clinic on June 11th – three weeks today – with a keynote from @kjavadizadeh. You can find the programme and register here: eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-aesth…

euppublishing.com/doi/epub/1… A new essay on the origins of the notion of 'adaptation' in psychoanalysis and the ambivalences many American analysts felt it. DM me for a pdf if interested!

In June, Christian Gelder (@GelderChristian) and I are organising a symposium on the representations and transformations of psychoanalytic and psychiatric space @JesusCollegeCam. Join us!

#NEWonSRB: Reviewing books by two of the world’s leading psychoanalytic writers, @GelderChristian explores the challenge that psychoanalysis poses not only to conventional understandings of self and sex, but also to the prevailing therapeutic culture. buff.ly/49C5VE5

Thank god democrats secured the Dick Cheney endorsement during an election year marked by some of the largest anti-war demonstrations in history

An update on this update: the registration link is here! Fink on Lacan in Sydney! gleebooks.com.au/event/bruce…

EVENT: The Art and Industry of Public Intellectual Practice Join us as @KateRossmanith, @MarcusSharon, @KatieEBarclay, @GelderChristian, and @sprezzafuror discuss the challenges and affordances of public intellectual practice. Thursday 10 October buff.ly/404CUOD

LEAKED from USyd HR briefing for managers on "Overcoming" Closing Loopholes. TLDR: Casual academics must no longer be "engaged for a fixed term" (i.e. a semester) because we "could ask to convert to continuing employment if current practices continue".

An update: Fink will be giving a public lecture on Dec 4th at Gleebooks in Sydney entitled “What Distinguishes the Lacanian Approach to Psychoanalytic Practice?”. Again, mark it in the calendar!!

'Does one really believe that wage theft in bars and restaurants would have been so open, so gluttonous, so cruel and indifferent, had hospo and retail had a major union as militant as the CFMEU?' — GR